Spaces Between Us
by EruptIntoColourfulFlames
Summary: 17 year old, emotionally unstable Grace Windsor hates her whole life as a first-class young lady. She's forced to travel to America, all so she can find a wealthy partner to keep the money coming in. But this voyage, and a certain officer, could change her outlook on life itself. If only everything could go smoothly on the doomed ship...
1. Chapter 1

Grace Windsor lay awake in her hotel bed, staring at the ceiling. There was nothing up there, it was just plain, but she was thinking, just thinking.

Her whole life was just a mirror of what had already happened previously. A First Class girl's life was not an enjoyable one. It was too formal, too boring, too everything. She could never just talk to anyone about her life, how she was feeling, or anything that wasn't awkward small talk.

In just a few hours' time, she would be on the RMS Titanic, a grand ship that was all everyone could talk about. Her snobbish mother Frances had taken great delight in bragging to everyone that they had gotten an extremely luxurious room thanks to Grace's sister's husband, Robert Forbes. He was a millionaire and had only married Elizabeth because of his outstanding social position and wealth. It wasn't love that had brought the two together, only their shared opinion on the value of money.

She leaned over in her bed and reached for one of her notebooks that she took everywhere. Flicking through the pages, she found the next creamy blank page and began writing furiously. She smiled as she imagined how furious her mother would be if she read the stories she wrote. Tales of illicit romances, passionate relationships and a vampire story based on _Dracula _that she'd read and enjoyed several months back.

After a while, she grew bored of writing, and lay back again. Grace felt restless, despite having woken up so early. The light was not yet streaming through the gap in the thick brown curtains, but she couldn't stand being trapped inside her troubled mind a moment longer. She got up and wandered to the wardrobe to pick out her own outfit for a change. Her maid Edith was asleep in the noticeably smaller room beside hers, and she needed a bit of fresh air before everyone else woke up.

In her wardrobe was an assortment of beautiful, detailed dresses of all different colour, but Grace pulled out a plain, pale lilac dress and a cream coloured shawl. She put her hair up as usual, securing a clip in place, and she stared at herself in the mirror.

Grace was very self-conscious, as she certainly wasn't society's definition of beautiful or attractive, and was frequently told so by her mother and her sister. She had long, straight raven black hair and pale, clear skin. Her eyes were wide and green and stood out in her colourless face. She was small and weighed very little because her nagging mother had once told her that she ate far too much for a young lady. As a result, she never ate much at meals and lost a lot of weight very quickly.

She sighed, applying a pale pink lipstick and some kohl to her eyelid, then, after grabbing her current favourite book, slowly crept out her room, closing the door behind her quietly. She wandered along the hallway slowly, touching each picture on the walls. She knew that as a young woman she should not be walking around by herself, but she didn't care, she wanted to show that she was a young, independent woman who didn't need a man to get her through life.

Outside, it was pleasantly warm, and the sun had finally started to rise. She sat on a bench in a quiet area, just enjoying a bit of freedom from her hectic, yet boring life. The wind whipped her hair, and she shook it free so it tumbled over her shoulders. She opened her book up at the correct page and lost herself in another world altogether. That was what Grace loved about her books.

Half an hour later, she looked up suddenly at some noise across the road. Grace realised that she had been sat for a while, and that Edith would be waiting patiently to help her get changed. She got up, then hurried past some guests in the entrance, up the stairs and back in her bedroom where her bewildered maid was.

"Where have you been, Miss?" Edith asked, going through the closet.

"I've been out for a bit of fresh air," Grace replied. "No need to get out another outfit Edith, I'll be fine with what I'm wearing now."

"You need to look your best for today, Miss," Edith said firmly, "and besides, your mother has already made some helpful suggestions-"she reached inside the wardrobe and pulled out a hideous green dress with lace and beads above the sash, which was around the waist. She stared in horror at it.

"Your mother would like you downstairs for breakfast in 10 minutes, so please hurry Miss." She laced up the corset too tight as usual, and Grace felt dizzy. She was helped into the terrible dress and had her hair and makeup done nicely. Privately, she hated having help getting ready, as if she wasn't capable of it.

"There Miss, you look lovely," Edith said with a smile when she was finished. Grace stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't even bring herself to smile. Edith sighed.

"Off you go now, don't keep everyone waiting." Grace stomped out in a very unladylike fashion, only to be stopped by her sister's husband Robert. She swallowed nervously.

"My, don't you look beautiful today?" he said with a creepy smile. He reached out to touch her, but she ducked.

"Robert, why are you doing this? You're married to my sister, not to me," Grace began, and he grabbed her arm roughly.

"She doesn't need to know," he hissed angrily, holding her tighter, "neither does your mother."

"Let me go!" Grace cried, struggling against the abusive man. At that moment, an elderly couple came out of their room, and Robert let go immediately, glowering at her. She turned and walked down the corridor, not looking back at the angry man…

Downstairs, her mother Frances gave her a disapproving look. She and Elizabeth were sat down, sipping tea and making small talk. Grace sat down and tried not to draw too much attention to herself. Robert came down a few minutes later, and they all ordered breakfast.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Grace said quietly. Frances sighed.

After they had all finished, the maids were instructed to pack up their things ready to go to Southampton. Robert took great delight in tipping very generously, and finally they were ready to leave. The ship was only a short walk away so even Frances could manage it.

The quay was exceptionally busy. People everywhere were gathered to watch the magnificent ship sail, and it was hard to fight through the crowds. Robert took Elizabeth's arm, then tried to grab Grace's too, but she took a step back so he had to go forwards without her.

Eventually the crowds of mainly Third Class people gave way to the posh family, and finally, they were stood in front of the remarkable ship that was Titanic.


	2. Chapter 2

The ship was immense. Even Frances has a smile on her face. Only Grace stayed gloomy faced, clutching her pass in one hand, and her luggage in the other.

"Come on, I'd like to explore our room properly and go up to the deck before it leaves," Frances said, elegantly walking towards the gangway. Grace, Elizabeth and Robert moved after her. He turned around and smirked at Grace, and she suddenly saw her voyage and life ahead of her. She would be subject to Elizabeth's cruel words, Robert's wandering hands and lewd remarks and her mother's constant complaining. After the ship docked, she would be forced to marry an older man she didn't love, and spend the rest of her days obeying him and lounging around as his trophy wife.

Grace knew she couldn't survive a life like that. And she wasn't going to.

The world spun around her. She felt dizzy with all her thoughts pounding inside her head. And then she ran.

"Grace, come back!"

Grace fought her way through all the waving people, and soon lost herself in the sea of endless Third Class people. They thought nothing of her, they were smiling and waving at loved ones, who were fortunate enough to board the RMS Titanic. She could hear her mother and Robert yelling after her, but she ignored them.

"Excuse me – Thanks, excuse me, sorry," she gasped breathlessly. She had run far away from the gangway and from her family, so far that hopefully they wouldn't be able to find her.

She hadn't realised she was crying until she paused behind a large Second Class family, who had too many children to control. She knew she looked odd, with her fancy clothes and tear-stained face, but at that moment she didn't care. All she cared about was what to do next.

Behind her was a Third Class pub. She looked in with interest, watching the people so different to her, with their tattered clothes and cheap beer. Was that going to be her life now? But anything was better than being stuck with Robert and her family.

Tears flowed down Grace's cheeks freely then. She had been so stupid. Blinking, she once more stared at the grand ship, to the gangway where the rest of the family were just disappearing inside. And then she saw him.

Grace knew instantly that he was an officer, although he almost looked too young to be in that position. He was very attractive though, and her heart melted at the sight of him. He was letting in the Second Class passengers, and for one moment she seriously considered pretending to be in that class just so she could talk to him. It was like love at first sight.

The clock inside the pub read 11:55. She still had time to get to the ship. She ran through the crowds again, which proved to be even more difficult.

"Sorry!" she shouted to an Italian man who was also running after his friend. They were just about to close the gangway but she shoved her way past, darting up and showing her Boarding Pass to the officer there. Instead of letting her on, he frowned at her.

"Pardon me Miss, but you don't exactly look as though you're in First Class." He took in her scruffy appearance, and shook his head. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to escort you to Third Class until we figure out how you managed to get hold of a First Class Boarding Pass-"

"I didn't steal it," Grace said loudly, her heart thumping. She had drawn attention to other crewmen, who were gathering around.

"Could one of you please take this lady to Third Class quickly," the Officer said loudly over her arguing. "We need to sort this issue out, but the ship is leaving any minute."

"Come along Miss," one of the crewmen said, taking her arm and forcibly leading her back down the gangway. It was one of the most embarrassing things that had even happened to her. Everyone was staring, although no-one was rude enough to comment. She was taken up the Third Class gangway and led to a bare room.

"We'll be back later to sort this mess out," he told her, and she just glowered. Now how was she supposed to find that Officer, when she was stuck in Third Class? She undid her case with shaking hands, then suddenly picked up a hairbrush and hurled it at the wall in a rage.

At least she had a room to herself. After calming herself down, she went back outside into the endless halls, where everyone was trying to find their way around. She saw the Italian guy and his blonde friend again, and gave them a weak smile. Lots of people were staring at her.

"What's she doing down here?" one child whispered to her mother. Grace blushed, but smiled at the little girl.

"The ships leaving!" someone shouted. She decided to follow the people heading up to the deck, and suddenly she was blinking at the sunlight again. Eagerly, she waved at all the people of Southampton. Before there was a huge rush of people, she quietly slipped back to her room to properly unpack everything. All her dresses went into the small dresser, all her makeup rested on top of it, and she hid her knife in the bottom door, her guilty secret. Grace anxiously pulled her sleeves down and looked out the porthole. The room wasn't quite low enough down to be able to see the blue ocean, but instead she got a pleasant view of the sea.

Grace's thoughts were now on the Officer she saw earlier. She was desperate to know where he was, what he was doing. She looked at herself critically, then pulled out a hand-mirror and redid her hair and makeup. She hoped her appearance would be enough to slip past unnoticed into the First Class areas.

So once again she made her way up to the deck, where there were several people milling around. Grace was so busy looking out at the vast ocean that she didn't notice a man stood smoking.

"Oh! Excuse me, I'm sorry," she gasped.

"It's alright," he grinned. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you don't look as though you belong here."

Grace rolled her eyes, something her mother hated her doing. "It's a long story. They think I stole a First Class ticket and sent me here instead."

He laughed. The man had a pleasant Irish accent. "Well I hope that goes okay for you." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Tommy Ryan."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Grace Winsor," she said politely. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find some urgently, so I'll see you again very soon."

"Have a nice day Miss."

Grace sped her walk up a bit, then had to turn around when she got lost. After asking two people for directions (both had given her odd looks) she managed to find the gateway that separated the different classes. She hesitated, then swung it open and stepped in.

Once she was there, the First Class people didn't seem to think anything much of her, they just bid her good afternoon and continued their strolls. Grace was extremely jumpy and nervous, hoping that she would not run into Elizabeth, Robert or her mother.

At the end of the deck, she saw the Captain and another Officer looking proudly at the ship and the endless sea ahead of them. She wandered a bit closer, as she could only see the two, and then she saw him again.

He was handing the Captain a cup of tea, then looking out across the ship as well. Just as she was contemplating a way of getting his attention, a shout startled her.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!"

She looked round and almost cursed. The Officer who had turned her away and the member of crew that had taken her to Third Class had spotted her and were running towards her. They had also attracted the attention of everyone around them.

"I thought we said that you were to stay in Third Class until we figured out how you'd stolen a First-"

"I didn't steal anything!" Grace shouted.

"We don't appreciate people who lie and steal," the crewman said coldly.

"Can someone take her back to her cabin please, it's 7B in Third Class," the Officer said. She turned around and looked at the one that she'd been instantly attracted to. He was looking at her with accusation in his chocolate brown eyes.

"Mr Lowe, could you take her back to her cabin please?"

"Yes sir," Officer Lowe said in a Welsh accent. He didn't look or sound happy. She swallowed. Grace had not made a good first impression.


End file.
